Peculiar Mademoiselle
by KarmaPop
Summary: Mr. Gold remembers that which he never really forgot.
1. I'm Afraid I've Been Thinking

Sometimes, he literally could not believe himself.

He had had leverage. She fashioned herself intelligent, and she was; but clearly she was no Sherlock Holmes. He had known who he was ever since the smoke cleared and he had found himself in Maine, of all the godforsaken places. Close to 30 years, and she still had no idea. And he destroyed it all for a keepsake from a former life.

Goddamnit.

He held the cup in his hands and damned fate, himself, the queen AND her. Of course Belle had left, this is how these thing go after all. But to throw herself out a tower? Suicide? He had not expected that of her, and to think of her reduced to such a state…

Better not to think of it at all. He twirled the cup, gently.

_She's dead._

The chip was still there.

_It's your fault._

The Queen had "found" it easily enough. He probably shouldn't let it sleep in the cupboard anymore.

_You set her free, and he locked her up… he killed her…_

He had beat the life out of Mr. French. The old fool had screamed as he broke an arm, a shoulder, a hip with his cane, and all he could feel was joy, an exultant vengeance. The man had not denied any culpability, had never once asked him what was he talking about as he screamed out for blood for the man's daughter.

_Why hadn't he?_

Mr. French had not denied what he was talking about. True, there had been much screaming, but no denial…

_It's no wonder that her name means Beauty._

Mr. Gold had many a favor owed. Perhaps it was time to cash in.


	2. Always Good for a Laugh

Mr. French did not look happy to see him. Gold couldn't blame him.  
>The portly fellow made a move to lock his door- he was surprisingly fast for a man of his girth. Too bad for him, Gold was faster. The cane again met with the man's arm, now in a sling, and with an audible crack and a scream, the man went down. Gold went in quickly, closing the door behind him, and slammed his cane down, violently just to the side of the man's head.<p>

"Do you, by chance, have a daughter?"

Mr. French blinked up at him, a confused, stupid stare. The cane came down again, an inch from the jugular.

"Well?"

"Yes. She…." Terror and Grief went to war across the man's features, terror won. "She's dead."

Just as he feared. Nothing had changed. Time to finish what he started. He lifted the cane and rammed it into the man's good leg. Not so good anymore.

"Tell me." Cane came down again, scream. Gold knew better this time though, he wouldn't lose himself to rage; this kind of thing called for precision, logic, analysis.

Gold knelt by French's side, gripped his collar.

"How did she die?"

"It wasn't MY FAULT."

That nearly did it. He had almost killed him right then. But he wanted to savor the moment.

"How did she die?" Gold almost spat the words out; French looked up at him, and immediately calmed, something inside of him sensing that if he didn't choose his next words wisely, there would be none thereafter.

"She was troubled. She had to go to the hospital. I…I.. didn't know what to do. She wouldn't eat, she wasn't sleeping, she would have died unless I had done something…"

"And…"

French gave him a look.

"And she died in there. There was a fire…. There was nothing left to bury."

The man took a deep breath, and then burst into heaving sobs. It was disgusting.

"It was my fault. I never wanted her in there, but the Mayor insisted, said she was dangerous…."

That had Gold's attention, "What does the Mayor have to do with this?"

"She said my daughter was dangerous, that she couldn't be allowed in town, but she was my daughter, I should have been able to say something, to do something…" The man heaved a sob, cried out in pain. "I was going to, but she died before I could…"

Mr. Gold rose to his feet, there was nothing more to gain here.

"Where are you going? Why don't you just kill me?"

Gold smiled. "No, that won't be necessary. If I were you however," Gold opened the door, and gave Mr. French a smile, "I wouldn't talk about our little chat with the Sheriff."

French nodded his assent.

"Also, what was your daughter's name, if I may ask?"

French sighed deeply, tried to reign in his tears, failed.

"Her name was Belle. It means…"

"I know what it means. Good day to you Mr. French."

With that, he stepped out, closing the door behind him.

As he hobbled to his car, he wondered how he could save her if she was still alive. He wondered how he could he have ever believed the Queen in the first place. And he wondered exactly how difficult it would be to assassinate the Mayor.

Concealed in the shadows some distance from the florist's house, watching him limp away; Regina thought much the same thing.


	3. A Beauty But a Funny Girl

Mr. Gold beat her to the hospital, but she beat him to the finish line.

There was no time for delay. Regina punched in the code as fast as her fingers would allow, carelessly leaving the door open in her haste. Grabbing the nurse's arm, she nearly ran over to the girl's "dungeon".

"Open it."

The nurse looked at her, smug, but she said nothing and did as she was told.

Regina approached the girl; she looked, and smelled awful, but such were the realities of hospital life.

"Dear? We're going to have to move. It's not safe here anymore." Regina grabbed her arm.

Belle roughly yanked it away, fire in her eyes.

"It was never safe here."

Regina had no time to react, before Belle was on her. The girl screamed and clawed like a woman possessed, and the mayor went down easily enough.

Next was the nurse. Belle tackled her, drove her into the wall, and was gone before the woman could recover.

Belle ran down the hallway, breath ragged in her lungs. There was no one in sight, some screaming from behind, but they couldn't catch her now.

She turned the corner. The door was open! And just beyond, back turned to her, was him. He had a cane, and looked a bit more human, but it was almost certainly him. The sight of it stopped her in tracks, but only for a moment.

Which turned out to be a moment too long. Rough hands grabbed her from behind, the orderly was here. She struggled futilely, then screamed, long and loud, and the man outside turned and looked at her.

Time stopped, for him at least. _She's alive, thank you thank you thank you._

For Belle, time was still very much in motion. She noticed that he seemed to recognize her, thank God. She gathered herself to scream again, when she suddenly felt a prick in her arm. _Oh God, not again_ she thought as the fight promptly left her. Before she lost consciousness, she saw the man striding towards the door. _He's coming to save me! Oh Jesus oh thank you I knew it_ and then the door slammed in his face, The Mayor _or was she the Queen?_ standing triumphantly by the door. She could hear his yelling from the other side, but he may as he well have been on Mars for all the good he could do her.

Regina turned to her, strode over, and grabbed her by the hair. The Mayor's face was still red from where Belle had socked her one but good.

"You're not going _anywhere_."

Belle thought to say that the Queen was wrong. That she didn't know anything about the man on the other side of the door. That the Queen didn't know anything about HER, and that she'd be free no matter what, even if she had to do it herself.

Unfortunately, before she could voice any of these things, she passed out, his frantic screams echoing in her ears along with a lower, more sinister laugh.


	4. Evolving a Plan

He slammed the door with his cane til the damn thing near broke in half, screaming himself hoarse in the process. A few nurses and orderlies had attempted to stop him, but he was a man possessed, and, beyond the Mayor, was the most powerful man in town.

Thus he was allowed to scream and rage and wail until with a click the door opened, the Mayor stepped out, and caught his cane mid strike.

"Such a temper." She smiled, and let go of the cane. She closed the door behind her quickly, and took Gold by the shoulders, the man still shaking with rage.

Gold grimaced and shook her off. He couldn't- he wouldn't- kill her here.

"If two people have what the other wants, a deal can always be made."

She looked at him. Smiled. _Laughed_.

"Not this time, I believe. I rather like her where she is."

Gold spun to face her. "You and I both know I'll have her if I want her."

"Will you now?"

Regina turned on her heel, and walked away. With one last look at the door from which he had last seen Belle, Gold followed.

"I will. You know I will."

Regina walked faster. They were nearly to the parking lot, and it was all he could to keep up.

"_Please _stop."

Regina growled, frozen in her tracks, back to him.

"I would appreciate it if I could leave."

"Not until we make a deal."

Regina turned to him, smiled a dangerous smile. "You're in no place to make demands."

She leaned forward, hands on hips, victory on her face, a soft whisper, "I know you could have her out in a day, bribes, the Sheriff, I'm not a fool. And you can have her. Or at least what's left of her."

He looked at her, comprehending without wishing too.

"Mr. Gold, much can happen before tomorrow. Scourges for one. Flame, another. And thanks to the wonders of this brave new world we find ourselves in, _electricity_." She pushed forward until she was an inch away from Gold, every inch the Queen she used to be, still was. "The girl is deranged Mr. Gold, and the only magic in this world that can cure her are pills, injections, and about 400 watts. It won't kill her…. Probably."

"What do you want?

"I already have your name. I believe that's enough."

He knew it was impossible, but he could hear her screaming somewhere from the depths of the hospital. He had to do something. A deal could be struck, but my God, this was his last card.

"It's not enough though. I know who Ms. Swan is."

Regina's eyes widened. "I believe we all know who she is, Mr. Gold."

He smiled. "Not like I do. I know everything about the curse. Unless you want all this…"

He gestured with his hands to the hospital; the whole place reeked of piss and panic, "_majesty _to come undone, and who would want that? …You might want to know who she is. I'll tell you everything. I need her back though. Now."

Regina glared at him. Considered.

"Deal."


End file.
